Once Upon a Dream
by LeanaVine
Summary: AU. As Sam learns how cast spells, a stranger appears in his room, wanting to show him how to be a powerful Wiccan. (Includes major character death. Warning of self-harm, violence, minor character death, possible sex, and underage. Wiccan!Sam, Familiar!Lucifer. Includes Man/Man. Samifer, Lucifer/Sam. Dean/Lisa. Castiel/Meg. Michael/Ruby. One-sided Sabriel, Sam/Gabriel.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, just a heads up, in this story, I will probably use real spells. And what Sam does to cast a circle and present offerings to the spirits and creatures of each direction, that's just what I use when I cast spells. It's not what everyone uses, because everyone is different. And I'm pretty new to all of this myself, so my information might not be totally correct at times.

As always, I do not share any views expressed by any characters in this story. And I own nothing in this story.

Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

_Sam lay in a field of grass that grew above his head, eyes closed peacefully as a breeze rippled across the plains. Underneath his eyelids, his eyes shifted constantly. His arms were stretched out at his sides, fingers curling and uncurling in the tendrils of grass. In the distance, he was sure that he could hear chimes lazily falling against each other. When he inhaled deeply through his nose, the air was dusted with the scents of dirt, pine gum, and brown sugar. Sam wasn't sure where the smell of pine came from, because, as far as he could tell, there were no trees around. The smell of sugar stumped him as well._

_ A new sound emerged in the distance, coming closer – footsteps. Not only footsteps, but humming as well. Sam was sure that he knew the tune from somewhere, but without hearing lyrics, he couldn't place it. Though his curiosity bubbled, Sam kept his eyes closed, pretending to sleep. The wind picked up, creating tidal waves in the grass which tickled Sam's arms._

_ As the smell of sugar became stronger, and the footsteps drew closer, Sam cracked his eyes open, immediately being punished by the blinding sunlight above him. He snapped them closed once again, seeing pink and green dots inside of his eyelids. Sam turned his head to the side before opening his eyes again._

_ When his eyes adjusted, he was able to make out feet coming towards him. They were naked feet, attached to hairy, naked legs. Sam remained still, watching the feet as they approached. It was then that he heard lyrics being added to the humming. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream… I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar agleam…"_

_ Sam reached out gingerly when he thought it was possible to touch the feet, and his fingers grazed the tough knuckles. The skin was incredibly cold, as if this person had just come inside from swimming in a frozen over river. "And I know it's true that visions are seldom what they seem…" Then, this person leaned down over Sam, but Sam could not see his face. They touched his cheek with a smooth hand as Sam slowly sat up, and Sam found himself smiling. "But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."_

"Sammy, God dammit, wake up already!" There was loud banging at his door. "You're gonna be late!"

_"But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once…"_

More pounding at the door. "Get up! Don't make me have to break down this door, because I will!"

Sam sat up quickly, panting for breath as he looked around his bedroom frantically. With a glance at the clock, he saw that it was 7:47. He looked down at himself to see that he was without a shirt and in his favorite pair of sweatpants. In a panic, he leapt out of bed, slicking back his hair. "I'm up, I'm up!" he called back to his brother.

"You don't have time to shower. Just get dressed and come out here. I've got some eggs for you." After that, Sam heard Dean's footsteps retreat into the kitchen and he hurriedly picked out a shirt from his closet. As he slipped the shirt over his head, he considered keeping on his sweatpants, but then he groaned upon remembering that he'd worn the same pair the day before.

Dean waited for Sam in the kitchen, sitting at the bar as he drank his coffee. He glanced through a car magazine of some kind, not reading the words, just looking at the pictures. Sam dashed out, one sock on, the other in his hand, and slid into his bar seat, digging into his fried eggs that Dean had prepared. "Sorry," he said with his mouth full of egg, "I had a good dream, I guess. Just didn't wanna wake up."

With a chuckle, Dean nodded. "I understand, little man. You're growin' up; it's okay to have dreams like that."

Sam quirked a brow, looking up at his brother. "What?"

"I don't need to hear any details, just try'n save dreams like that for the weekend, okay? Puberty is a bitch, I know." Dean smirked, taking another swig of his coffee.

Sam choked momentarily. "It wasn't a wet dream, Dean."

"Then you have no excuse to be late for school. No dream is worth sleepin' in for unless it's dirty." He smiled when Sam groaned, shoveling more egg into his mouth. "Don't kill yourself, now. Bring your plate, we've gotta go."

The ride to Sam's school wasn't long, so he still found himself scarfing down the eggs like his life depended on it. This wasn't the first time he'd had to eat fast. Hell, growing up, Dean had been a bit chubby, so Sam had always had to inhale his food before his brother could steal it off his plate.

After their dad had died, Dean and Sam moved in with Bobby, a friend of their dad's that was pretty much like an uncle to them, and his wife Ellen. Dean worked in the garage with Bobby, and he turned out to be a decent mechanic, but Sam could tell that Dean wanted more. They stayed with Bobby until Dean turned eighteen, which was when Dean dropped out and they moved back into their old house. Bobby had hated to see them go, but he didn't give them a hard time. Ellen gave them a blackberry pie as a house-rewarming gift, and Sam noticed how she was trying not to cry.

Now, it was just he and Dean, and sometimes it was nice. They had their own rules and were pretty much free to do whatever they wanted, but other times it was lonely. Sam was seventeen and didn't have many friends. Just the week before, his girlfriend Ruby had broken his heart when she said she just "didn't feel it" anymore. He didn't know it, but it was _possible _that the reason behind her loss of feelings was her new crush on Michael Sterling, Gabriel's older brother.

Gabriel was Sam's best friend. Sam always knew that he could count on Gabriel to have his back. He didn't know how guilty Gabriel felt, having been the one to introduce Ruby to Michael one of the times that she dropped by to pick up one of Sam's X-Box 360 controllers. Sam also didn't know about the secret feelings Gabe harbored for him – feelings of unrequited love. Though Gabriel acted like king of the mountain, he was shy when it came to how he felt.

Sam's life was flooded with secrets, such as his own secret about what he started doing late at night while Dean was out for drinks. Ruby had been the axis on which Sam's life revolved for seven months, and moving on from her wasn't in his future plans. She had made it apparent that she didn't want to take him back, so that didn't leave Sam with many options. Out of desperation, he turned to spells he found online. At first, Sam didn't think much of witchcraft, but if there was any truth to magick and what it was capable of doing for people, he wanted to be a part of it. He didn't think he could live without Ruby, so she left him with no choice but to force her to fall back in love with him again.

The first time Sam cast a spell, he sat at the bar in the kitchen because he had to burn candles and he didn't feel comfortable doing that in his bedroom. If he burned wax on the floor, Dean would never forgive him. He had been nervous while casting the spell, sitting on a barstool with pictures of himself and Ruby, chanting things over them before pressing them together and tying them with yarn. Sam hid the bundle in his underwear drawer, thinking that maybe things would get better.

Still Ruby didn't return his affections. If anything, she acted even more distant than before, feeling awkward even having lunch with him or exchanging small talk in the hallway. The next time Sam tried a spell, he decided that he might as well go all out. When Dean went out one night, he took a cardboard box from the garage and spray painted it black, then he found an old red curtain to lay overtop of it. He set up the makeshift altar in this bedroom, using yarn to make a circle on the floor, being sure to tie the ends to complete the circle. That night, he tried a new, stronger spell, and Sam honestly felt like his magick was working.

The next day, Ruby hardly even looked at him, so Sam was almost ready to give up. What had he been thinking? _Witchcraft_? Had he gone insane? Sam wanted to stop with the magick, but he decided to read about it more instead, thinking that maybe his methods had been wrong. Then he read about how love spells don't work if the love isn't true, and that magick isn't manipulative, it just takes existing affections and makes them stronger. Sam cried that night, realizing that Ruby truly didn't love him anymore, if she had ever loved him in the first place.

A few days later, Sam cast a spell that would help heal his broken heart, hoping that it would get him to move on with his life. He tried to keep faith that the magick would work, and he pleaded with various gods and goddesses for their help. It worked, because the next day Sam felt much better. He missed Ruby's company at times, but he didn't feel like his world was crashing down. Instead, he felt ready to fall in love with someone new so that he could get over Ruby once and for all.

That night, Dean stayed in, which surprised Sam. Dean was 21 now, and since his birthday, he'd been gone nearly every night, getting drunk and sometimes not coming home until the early hours of the morning. Luckily, he never brought home any women, because Sam wasn't sure how he would handle that situation. "Hey," he said, leaning over the back of the couch where Dean sat, watching TV, "what're you doing home? You usually go out."

Dean nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "There's a game tonight. Besides, I shouldn't be leavin' you home all the time. I don't want you to feel like I'm tryin' to abandon you." He turned back to look at his little brother. "And I'm not settin' a good example if I'm out every night getting drunk."

Sam frowned. He knew part of the reason Dean got drunk was because he'd always dreamed of doing more with his life than being a mechanic. Dean had been so excited to go off to college before their father died, and Sam knew he'd been crushed because he'd lost his dad and his dreams. "I don't mind it that you go out."

"Why don't you sit down and watch the game with me?" Dean asked with a small smile. "I thought maybe we could spend some quality time together tonight."

As he looked down at his socks, Sam replied, "I would, Dean, really I would, but I've got a lot of studying I have to do tonight."

Dean cocked a brow. "On a Sunday?"

Sam sighed with a nod. "Yeah, it really sucks, but I've got this big test tomorrow, and if I fail it I might as well kiss any scholarships goodbye."

Turning back to face the TV, Dean said, "That's a bitch. Well, I'll try to keep it down."

That signaled that their conversation was over, and Sam dragged his feet back to his bedroom. He really felt awful lying to his brother, and even worse for not spending time with him, but casting this newest spell was important to Sam. He knew that once he found love, he'd be more fun to be around, and then maybe he could start fixing his life.

Sam went into his room, locking the door behind him. He prayed that Dean would stay occupied with his game and that he wouldn't hear his little brother casting spells in his bedroom. Before he started, Sam made sure that he had everything he needed with him in the circle, because it was very dangerous to leave the circle during spell casting. Once he was set, Sam lit small tea light candles all around his room then turned out the lights. He stepped into the circle, and placed offerings at the north, east, south, and west, lighting a candle with each offering.

At the north, Sam had a small pile of salt on a saucer, and he sprinkled salt around the candle, saying, "Blessing to the spirits and creatures of the north." Then, he moved to the east, where he had a pile of broken glass. Here, he also sprinkled salt and said, "Blessing to the spirits and creatures of the east." He repeated this for the south, where he had a pile of burnt matches and a stick of lit incense, and also for the west, where he had a small cup of water. When he was done, he meditated in front of his altar, then chanted, "I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest a meeting place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness and evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones; a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that we shall raise within thee."

After this was done, Sam was able to start his spell to bring himself true love. During this, he noticed that the candles outside of the circle flickered, one going out, and he became nervous. He could feel that true magick was at work, and his stomach churned at the thought. Sam took a deep breath, pausing to meditate again so that he could clear his mind. Soon after, he finished his spell, and stood to thank the gods and goddesses before walking around, taking back the offerings he'd put out. Before taking back each offering, he would say, "Thank you and blessings to the spirits and creatures of the…" and he would say the direction he was at.

When he was done, he chanted his Circle of Power chant backwards, then asked permission to leave the circle. Sam took a deep breath, happy that when he set foot outside of the circle it didn't start an earthquake. He walked around, blowing out each of the candles he'd set out. Sam didn't realize until he'd blown out the last candle how dark it'd gotten. For a moment, he stood still, admiring the dark. He felt calmer than he had in a long time, and that in turn made him feel uneasy. He quickly reached for the light switch, but before he could get to it…

_"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…"_

Sam's heart must've stopped. He would go to his grave swearing that it did. He wanted to move for the light, but he was frozen. That was when he smelled the brown sugar.

_"I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar agleam…"_

Sam didn't even remember reaching for the lights. All he knew was that one moment it was dark, and the next, it was light, and he was standing as close to the door as humanly possible, a hand on the light switch. There was no one else in the room with him, but that didn't ease Sam's now galloping heartbeat. Slowly, he took a step forward, looking everywhere wildly. "Who's there?" Sam asked, his voice shaky.

After a moment of debating, Sam realized that he had to turn the lights back off. He chuckled once in fear, stepping back. His legs were trembling. As he reached out to turn the lights off once more, he held his breath, afraid of what might happen in the dark. Sam's fingers hesitated on the switch, as he gave the room one last look over. He swallowed, letting out his breath, and flicked the switch down.

At first, there was nothing but silence. Sam's eyes darted around the room, though he could see nothing. His breathing picked up, feeling anxious at the suspense. "Where did you go?" he asked the nothingness. When there was no immediate reply, Sam laughed, thinking about how stupid he was being. He really needed to stop this witchcraft before he drove himself mad. Then, he heard the man's voice singing to him again.

_"And I know it's true that visions are seldom what they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do."_

Sam was afraid he would start hyperventilating soon. "Where are you? Wh-who are you?" He could now feel steady breath on his face. The smell of brown sugar had grown stronger

_ "You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."_

Sam slapped the light on, and in front of him stood a man. Every part of Sam wanted to scream out in terror, but he didn't. He wanted to open the door and go running out, but he didn't. He just stared up at this man's face. The man looked about 20 and had soft, blue eyes and short blonde hair which also reached his face in a thin beard. He cocked his head to the left, and a smile spread on his face. Sam didn't feel threatened by that face, though he maybe should have.

As he struggled to find his voice, Sam swallowed. "You…you're not the true love I wished for, are you?"

The man in front of him chuckled, shaking his head ever so slightly as his eyes glided over Sam's face. "I am your familiar."

Sam was beginning to feel claustrophobic between the door and the strange man in front of him. "I'm sorry, what? How did you even get in here? What's a familiar?"

It was unsettling to see the man in front of him go from smiling to looking confused. "Are you not my Wiccan?" Before Sam could muster up an answer, he added, "But, I thought you were the Wiccan I came to in a dream a week ago."

"That was me," Sam responded all too quickly. "You were the guy that smelled like sugar and didn't wear any shoes." He glanced down, then gasped, slamming backwards into the door. He choked on his words for a moment before stuttering, "Y-y-y-you…you're…did you know that you're naked?" The man nodded. Sam covered his eyes, waving towards the bed. "Okay, okay will you just go over there? Wrap yourself in a blanket or something." At first, the man stayed put, but then he moved towards the bed, where he sat down and pulled Sam's comforter into his lap. "Okay," Sam started after uncovering his eyes, "will you please explain to me _why _you are naked and in my bedroom?"

"I am your familiar."

Sam sighed, nodding. "Yeah, you said that already. Care to tell me what that is?"

The man on his bed narrowed his eyes. "If you were truly a Wiccan, you would know what a familiar is."

"Yeah, well I'm not really a Wiccan. I've just done a few spells so I don't feel like a lonely loser. I didn't expect to conjure up a naked man in my bedroom." Sam huffed, putting his hands on his knees.

"But…" The man rose off the bed, holding the comforter to his crotch with one hand, and Sam swallowed. "If you are not a Wiccan, then why am I here?"

"I'm kind of waiting for you to tell me."

The man sighed. "I am a familiar, an assistant to the Wiccan that is chosen for me. The purpose of my life is to serve my master and to aid them in their spell casting. When a person first becomes a Wiccan, their familiar finds them, and the Wiccan is given a dream to alert them that soon, they will be visited by their familiar."

Sam's eyes widened. "So that dream a week ago, that was you telling me that you were coming for me…" He shook his head. "But I had that dream before I cast my first spell. I definitely wasn't a Wiccan then, and I doubt that I'm one now."

"Then perhaps I am meant to lead you as you become a Wiccan," the man suggested.

With a groan, Sam covered his eyes. "Can't you just find a new guy to be your master?"

The man shook his head, coming closer to Sam. "I can't. A familiar is bound to their master eternally, mind and soul. I must serve you, it is what I was created to do."

Sam took in a deep breath, rubbing circles in his forehead. "Okay, well first thing's first. I have to find you some clothes before we can really figure anything out. You look like you're Dean's size…" He opened the door, peeking out, then looked back at the strange, naked man. "Wait in here, and be quiet. My brother can't know you're here or I'll never hear the end of it."

* * *

Once he was dressed, Sam felt more comfortable around the stranger. "Okay, so do you have a name, or am I supposed to name you?"

"Lucifer. I am Lucifer."

Sam nodded. "Okay, not the best name, but it'll work." He held out a hand. "Umm, nice to meet you, I guess, Lucifer. I'm Sam." Lucifer shook his hand and smiled, which made Sam's stomach toss a little. His skin was just as cold as Sam had remembered it. After releasing Lucifer's hand, he stuffed his hands in his back pockets. "Okay, well, I was gonna sleep, so you can head home, or whatever."

Lucifer looked confused again. "My home is here with you. A familiar is never supposed to leave the side of their master."

In disbelief Sam collapsed on the bed. "You can't be serious…" For a minute, he was just quiet, concentrating on his breathing. "Well, how am I supposed to hide you from my brother?"

"That's easy."

Sam looked up to see Lucifer shift into a brown and white border collie, and he practically yelped, but covered his mouth to keep most of it in. He sighed. "Will you warn me before you do that next time?"

Lucifer just smiled up at Sam, panting with his tongue hanging out.

"You're officially creepy."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Okay, so I hope you guys are liking this story so far. I'm actually enjoying writing it more than I expected to. I already have an idea of how it's going to end, I just have to get there first. Don't worry, it's not going to be over anytime soon.

Since I'm uploading the first and second chapter at the same time, if you guys review either of those chapters (you'll only get counted for one if you do both) your name will end up on the wall of fame next chapter.

On another note, I hope I'm not offending any Wiccans out there with this story. I don't consider myself a Wiccan, but I do Wiccan spells quite often now. I just really got into it, because they're super calming and can be fun. I do research for this story, but there isn't a lot of info online about Familiars, so some of this I'm just kind of having to make up.

* * *

The next day was a Monday, and Sam woke up early to his Familiar border collie snuggled up to his side, laying on his back, paws tucked up to his neck. Sam sighed and shoved the dog lightly. "Wake up, Lucifer." When he didn't move, Sam groaned, sitting up and shaking him. "Come on, wake up."

After whining a little, Lucifer yawned, looking like he hadn't slept in weeks. It was cute and sad at the same time. In a pale blue light, Lucifer shifted back into a human, this form nearly outgrowing Sam's bed. He smiled sleepily at his young master. "Good morning, Sam."

Sam couldn't help the small smile that made its way to his face. "Uh, yeah, good morning." He stared at Lucifer for a few seconds before shaking his head and climbing out from underneath the comforter. "I'll pretend to be sick so I can stay home with you today. We have to figure out this whole Familiar thing."

"You don't seem as uneasy about this as you did last night," Lucifer observed. "What changed?"

Sam debated his answer first before shrugging and replying, "I don't really have any control over the situation right now. Might as well make peace with it. If you're bound to me eternally, then I can't really send you away. And besides, this magick stuff has never wronged me before." He paused and remembered Ruby, and how the magick hadn't made her fall in love with him again, but he took a deep breath, reminding himself that she just wasn't the one for him. Sam looked back to Lucifer with a weak smile. "Just stay in here, okay? I'm going to ask Dean if I can stay home."

Lucifer just nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. Sam took a second to notice that Dean's clothes fit him rather well. He'd swiped a plain white shirt and a pair of faded, slightly torn blue jeans from Dean's room the night before. He hadn't bothered with underwear or socks, because frankly Sam was scared about what he might've found in Dean's dresser.

Dean was still passed out on the couch from the night before. Sam looked at the clock on the wall to see that it was only 6:50 in the morning, so it really was early. Being as quiet as he possibly could, he snuck over to the refrigerator and grabbed the Italian dressing. He opened the bottle, pouring some into his hand which he then smeared over the front of his shirt, dabbing a little bit on his chin. When he was done, he put the bottle back in the fridge and headed to the bathroom.

Now, it was time for some serious acting. Sam went inside the bathroom, not closing the door all the way, and turned on the light. The crack of light that came through the door angled perfectly into the living room, so that it might disturb Dean in his slumber. As he stood by the door, Sam started to make a few heaving noises. When he was satisfied, he flushed the toilet.

At first, he wasn't sure if he'd woken up Dean, but then he heard his brother shift on the couch and call out, "Sammy? Everything okay in there?"

Sam smiled victoriously, then quickly wiped that expression away, sniffling and turning out the light, shambling towards the living room. He kept his left hand on his stomach at all times, then leaned on the bar in the kitchen, taking in deep shuddering breaths. "Morning, Dean," he murmured.

Dean sat up with a loud groan, and Sam could tell, even in the dark, that he was looking his way. "What's wrong? Not feelin' too hot?"

Shaking his head, Sam answered, "No, uh…not really. I'm not sure what it is; I felt okay yesterday."

With a humming sigh, Dean stood, walking into the kitchen. "Why don't you just stay home today? Go back to bed and get some rest." He gently patted Sam on the back before making his way to his bedroom, going in without another word. It was never hard to win Dean over.

When he came back into his room, Lucifer was still sitting on the bed, waiting patiently. Sam nodded to him. "Okay, we're good." Lucifer looked worried, seeing the mess on Sam's shirt, and started to stand, but Sam waved him away. "Don't worry. It's just salad dressing." He went to his closet, pulling out a fresh green shirt, letting it fall to the floor. After he slipped off the shirt he'd been wearing, he felt slightly awkward, like Lucifer was watching him. Sam pulled on the clean shirt, using the dirty one to wipe the Italian dressing off his chin. He turned back to Lucifer, who sure enough was just staring at him. "Do you have to watch me like that?"

Lucifer shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

Sam rubbed his forehead, walking towards the bed. "Just stay in the room, okay? Dean _cannot _know about you. I'm going to try and sleep a little more. I'm just exhausted." He waited for a second to see if Lucifer was going to move off of the bed, but he didn't. "Did you want to sleep too?"

Lucifer nodded, and with a smirk said, "If I'm allowed to."

Sarcasm? Glaring a little, Sam slid back into his bed. "Well, if you're going to sleep on the bed, can you not be a human, please? I don't want my brother to walk in on me spooning with a stranger."

"So, you'd rather me be a dog so your brother doesn't find out about me, not because you _don't _want to spoon?"

Sam sat up quickly, his eyes wide. "That's not what I said at all."

"And I never said that I _wanted _to spoon with you. Just because I'm a man sleeping in your bed, that doesn't mean we have to cuddle, just like it means me being a dog won't keep me from snuggling up to you."

It wasn't often that Sam blushed, but in this instance, he did. He soon buried his face in his pillow. "I don't want to snuggle with anyone, okay? Will you just be a dog, please?"

They slept in until about 9:30. In their sleep, Lucifer had become so comfortable that he reverted back to his human form, completely hidden under the covers. His face was pressed to Sam's torso, his arms encircling his waist. In turn, Sam slept with one hand in Lucifer's hair, and one of his legs thrown over the other man's waist.

Sam woke first, and did his best to hold in his screams. All that came out was a startled yelp and then an aggravated moan as he pulled back the covers. He was slightly disturbed to see that he'd tangled himself with the other man, but he tried not to think about it. Instead, he lightly slapped Lucifer's cheek. "Wake up and get off of me."

Lucifer took in a deep breath through his nose, and that tickled Sam ever so slightly. "Did you really have to wake up so soon? I was enjoying myself." Sam pushed him a little and Lucifer sighed. "Okay, okay." He let go of the younger man, then smiled, appreciating his bedhead. "At least you slept well."

"Just be quiet, okay? We need to get something straight before anything else." Lucifer nodded, sitting on his knees to listen. Sam took a deep breath, shaking his head. "You're not attracted to me, right? This whole snuggling thing, that's just who you are."

Lucifer chuckled. "I would say 'don't flatter yourself,' but I can't say that this time. Regretfully for you, I am deeply attracted to you." Sam could've sworn he swallowed his eardrums. "That is part of the bond that a Familiar shares with their master. I told you before, our souls are intertwined, and the only person on this planet that I care about is you. You're the reason I came into existence, and as your Familiar, I was meant to serve you in every way possible."

"Wait so," Sam started as he tried to comprehend the situation, "does that mean someday I'm going to fall in love with you?" His heart was beating a million miles a minute while also feeling like someone had dropped it in a jar of honey and it was just sinking and suffocating.

"Actually, that part is up to you." The Familiar sighed, looking around Sam's room. "In many cases, the master doesn't return any romantic feelings to their Familiar. Some people think that it's undignified for a Wiccan to have a relationship with their Familiar outside of the craft, but quite a few Wiccans returns feelings for their Familiar. The main reason a Familiar falls in love with their master is to ensure they will serve their master no matter what, unwavering." He smiled at the nervous looking teenager. "In other words, you don't have to feel anything for me that you don't want to, but I'm going to love you regardless."

Sam nodded, looking down at his toes. "Okay, that takes a little pressure off." He felt a little better when Lucifer chuckled. He was feeling slightly guilty, knowing that Lucifer was in love with him, and that he always would be, but he didn't think he wanted anything romantic with Lucifer – or any man for that matter. "If you don't mind, I'm going to do some more research."

As he stood from his bed to retrieve his laptop, Lucifer nodded. "Take all the time you need. The more you know about being a Wiccan, the better your craft will be." With that, he turned into a dog once more and sprawled out on the bed.

* * *

For the next hour, Sam read everything he could online about Familiars and their relationship with their Wiccan. Most of what he read involved how a Wiccan meets their Familiar. In many cases the Familiar would appear while the Wiccan was doing random, everyday things like laundry or making dinner. Sam felt relieved that Lucifer hadn't appeared naked in his classroom or in the kitchen while he was eating takeout with Dean.

As for what exactly a Familiar was, there wasn't as much on that. Most people seemed to agree that they were either demons or fairies because they were mischievous and powerful, but could be controlled by their master. Of course, that made Sam wonder about what kind of magical creature he had sleeping in his bed. Could demons even fall in love? But then again, weren't fairies supposed to be small?

He stood from where he'd been sitting on the floor and plopped down on the bed, shaking Lucifer a little. "Wake up, we've gotta talk about something." Lucifer just made a grunting sound and turned away, making Sam roll his eyes. "Lucifer, wake up."

"Hey, Sammy did you need anything before I left?" Dean poked his head in the door before Sam had a chance to react. Of course, his eyes widened when he saw the dog in his little brother's bed. It was then that Lucifer woke up, yawning, and he noticed Dean with big blue eyes. He looked from Dean to Sam and then back to Dean. "Umm, what is a dog doin' in your bed?"

Sam just looked down at Lucifer and wet his lips. "Uh, well he was sleeping," he answered truthfully.

Dean sighed. "No, I mean why is there a dog in the house? You know my policy about pets: if it can track in dirt or makes me sneeze, you can't have one."

"Well, this isn't really how I wanted you to find out about him…" Sam admitted.

Cocking his head to the side, Dean asked, "Have you had him in here since last night?" Before Sam could even reply, Dean's eyes widened and he nodded, answering himself. "_That's _why you didn't watch the game with me. Is that why you skipped school today? You lied to me?"

"I just really wanted to keep him."

"When were you plannin' on tellin' me about him?" Dean asked, pointing his newspaper at Lucifer.

Sam paused, thinking about it honestly. "Not sure. Maybe tonight after you got off work?" Realistically, Sam could live without having a Familiar staying with him disguised as a dog. He still wasn't too keen on the idea of having to hide the creature's true identity, or that this dog was in _love _with him and wanted to help him become a witch, essentially. But, if what Lucifer said was true, and they were soul-bound, there wasn't anything that Sam could do besides try to accept the situation and convince his big brother to let him keep the strange man as a pet. "Please let me keep him, Dean?"

Dean was quiet before letting out a deep sigh. "Okay, but ground rules: if he pees on the furniture or licks me while I'm sleepin', he's outta here. And you shouldn't let him in your bed, it's unhygienic." He rubbed the back of his head and asked, "Have you fed him yet?"

Sam looked down at the border collie, realizing he'd never thought to feed him. "No, actually. I kinda forgot about that." That explained why Lucifer looked so drained and exhausted earlier.

"Well, you're gonna have to take care of him if you're gonna keep him." He walked out of the doorway, calling back, "There's an old doghouse in the garage if you wanna dig it out for him. He's not stayin' in the house all the time."

When he was sure Dean was out of earshot, Sam whispered, "Do Familiars eat food?" Lucifer nodded, so he asked, "Should I feed you dog food?"

Dean poked his head back in. "Are you talkin' to that dog?"

"Umm…" Sam paused. "Would you judge me if I was?"

Unsure of what to say to that, Dean laughed. "What's his name, anyway?"

Sam looked down at the dog once more. Everything was so confusing now, but at least he didn't have to worry as much about Dean anymore. "Lucifer."

* * *

Sam grunted, struggling slightly with the box he was trying to lift. "Hey, can't you lend me a hand here?" he asked without looking back. It was incredibly hot and stuffy in the garage, and it was making Sam feel weak. This mission to find the old doghouse seemed pointless to him. Wouldn't it be offensive to Lucifer to make him sleep outside? Sam had read somewhere online that Wiccans rarely treated their Familiars as pets, but more as equals – aside from the whole master/assistant thing.

Lucifer strode over to Sam's side, now in his human form. "Aren't you afraid that your brother will see me in this form?" he asked, still not offering his help yet in case his young master changed his mind.

Pausing to take a break, Sam sat on the floor and leaned back against a random wooden crate. "Dean went to work. He won't be back until later tonight, if he even comes home at all. Sometimes he goes from work straight to the bar, if it's been a stressful day." He nodded his head to the pile he'd been digging through. "So, have at it. It's your doghouse anyway."

"About that," Lucifer said as he moved the boxes effortlessly, "do you really expect me to sleep outside and pretend to be a dog forever? How far do you expect me to go with that?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm not sure what to tell ya. We can't really have it any other way. You can only be a man when Dean isn't home, or if you're hiding in my room. Otherwise, you're going to have to be a dog." He frowned up at his Familiar. "I get that it's a lot to ask, but you don't know Dean. He's not exactly the most understanding guy out there. If I tell him that I'm a Wiccan-in-training with a magical dude attached to my hip, he'll probably put me in a mental institution."

Lucifer nodded. "I understand." His eyes narrowed. "I just wish that I didn't always have to be a dog." He glanced back at Sam. "You might forget that I'm a supernatural being, not a pet."

At that, Sam laughed. "Oh trust me, I won't be forgetting that anytime soon." When Lucifer didn't say anything, he sighed. "Look, I know it's not going to be as luxurious as being able to take whatever form you want, whenever you want, but as long as we're living with Dean, you're just going to have to adjust to being a dog most of the time."

Lucifer pulled out the doghouse and scowled at it. "And you expect me to sleep in this?" It was old and wooden, coated in this green stuff that Lucifer could peel off with his fingernails. The black shingles it had for a roof looked like they were starting to come off, and one of the boards in the back was broken.

Sam really hated the idea of making Lucifer sleep in that awful thing. "Well, how about when it rains, you can sleep in the house? As long as you don't track in any mud."

Rolling his eyes, Lucifer replied, "Oh joy. Thank you, master." Thick with sarcasm, once again.

"If it'll make you feel any better, we can clean it and paint it." Sam stood, examining the hole in the back. "I'll patch this somehow, too. We have plenty of time before Dean gets home."

Lucifer didn't react for a second, then he smiled. "Well, I suppose that would make it more charming. If you want me to keep up the act of being a dog, I'll do that for you."

Sam swallowed. "Because…you love me." It wasn't a question. It was more like he was trying to state what he already knew. The thought that Lucifer was in love with him had been buzzing in his head since that morning.

"No, because as your Familiar, I would do whatever it takes to serve you and keep you happy." Lucifer cocked an eyebrow down at Sam. "So, you're still stuck on the 'my undying love' thing?"

Sam laughed nervously, beginning his search for cans of paint. "It's just flattering, that's all. I'm not hung up on it." He was lying, and he hated that it was a lie. He'd rather not care about the other man's feelings for him. He finally found a can of blue paint and pulled it out, walking it over to Lucifer. "Okay, you look for some brushes. I'm going to get some stuff to wash the house off with."

They reconvened maybe ten minutes later in the backyard, where Lucifer was waiting with his hands in his pockets, doghouse, can of paint, and two brushes at his side. Sam brought with him a bucket filled with water and suds in one hand and two scrub brushes in the other hand. He set down the bucket, and some water sloshed over the side. "Well, let's get to it."

Under the heat of the sun, Sam became aware of just how out of shape he was – not in the sense that he was overweight, but that he was a lot weaker than he remembered being. He wasn't necessarily scrawny, but he definitely wasn't as strong as Dean or Lucifer. Just being on his knees and scrubbing the house made his limbs tired after a while. He relished in the thought that after this, he'd be able to take a nap in his bed – alone, hopefully. It aggravated him how Lucifer looked like he was barely breaking a sweat.

There were so many questions revolving in his head, and he just felt like he had to ask at least one or another. "Hey, Lucifer? Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

Sam nodded, pausing in his brushing for a second. "What…are you, exactly? I know that you're a Familiar, but what does that mean? I read somewhere online that Familiars are either fairies or demons. Which are you?"

This made Lucifer stop cleaning too. He looked up at Sam with a plain expression. "Does it really matter?"

Sam shrugged. "Well, yes and no. I mean, either way you're still going to stay with me, but I'd just like to know what you are. Is that so bad?" He felt awkward, not having expected Lucifer to get so touchy about the subject.

Lucifer sighed. "Well, I'm not sure where you read that Familiars are fairies." Something dropped in Sam's stomach, and Lucifer narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "If you wanted to know what I was, why didn't you just ask me directly besides assuming things?"

"I thought maybe you wouldn't wanna answer me, kinda like now…"

They were both quiet for a moment before Lucifer chuckled. "If I say that I'm a demon, is it going to bother you?"

Sam hesitated, swallowing. "No."

"You're a liar."

Lucifer stood, pacing away, rubbing the back of his neck. Sam bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm sorry. Just, humans have a bad view of demons – the kinds of things they're known for, what they're capable of doing. Half of the scary movies that come out now involve somebody being possessed by something." Sam was a bit taken aback when Lucifer just laughed deep in his throat.

"You humans can be so foolish sometimes, the things you choose to believe." He turned to Sam. "Yes, I am a sort of lesser demon. But don't worry, I'm not going to possess you. I'm not even capable of that. Are you really going to be threatened by a demon that claims to be in love with you and does whatever you say?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I guess not. I don't really have reason to be afraid of you." Even so, he still felt uneasy about a demon living with him, sleeping with him in his bed when it rained outside, teaching him how to become more powerful. What if it was all a trick, to turn Sam into something a lot more dangerous than a Wiccan? Lucifer could just be pretending to love him, doing what he said as a way of earning his trust.

He had to laugh at himself. Though he barely knew Lucifer, he couldn't imagine the man being a con-artist. "Let's just finish this doghouse, okay? It's freakin' hot out here."


End file.
